MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2008

DARK HORSE COMICS FOR DECEMBER

Mankind has always struggled to balance exploration and exploitation when stepping into new lands. In the era of the colonization of space, the discovery of new wonders is countered by the awful realities when species once separated by light years of airless void are suddenly thrown together, and the heady intoxication of discovery becomes the feral nightmare of a battle for supremacy. Humanity¹s arrogance and greed have helped the Alien plague spread, and now men and women must step forward to ensure that the future of the galaxy does not become the age of the Alien!

376 pages, $24.95, in stores on Feb. 4.

AMANO LIMITED EDITION PRINT

Dark Horse celebrated it 20th year of publishing manga with a specially commissioned in-store poster featuring a calligraphy-style illustration by renowned artist Yoshitaka Amano. This has been one of our most talked-about promotional items -- its simple artistry captures the elusive spirit of creativity.

Dark Horse asked Amano if it could produce a special collector¹s edition of the piece as a lithograph for collectors. He agreed, and Dark Horse presents this frameable edition of this artwork while supplies last.

The first new Beanworld story in print in over a decade, the Beanworld Holiday Special is the perfect introduction to Larry Marder's inimitable creation! As enjoyable for children as it is enlightening for adults, Beanworld is a grand adventure that explores social dynamics, culture creation, and ecological networks -- all in great fun! Take a tour of this magical world, from Proffy's Fix-It Shop to a Fabulous Look-See Show, in this issue that introduces toys to the baby Cuties and plunges readers into one of the most original and brilliant comic-book universes ever created!

24 pages, $3.50, in stores on Dec. 17.

BLOOD+ VOLUME 5

Written and art by Asuka Katsura.

Chiropterans run wild -- and Saya comes into her own as a single-minded killing machine!

Three months after the demolition of Red Shield headquarters, Saya is more intent than ever to rid the globe of all Chiropterans, and she travels to New York for a bloody showdown with Diva. When Diva sings, her supernatural sounds turn humans into hellish, bloodthirsty beasts . . . and what better place to start a Chiropteran apocalypse than Carnegie Hall? Desperate to kill these monsters and put a stop to the Chiropteran threat once and for all, Saya's willing to kill her loved ones and herself to achieve this goal, and her rage will not be quenched by Hagi's presence or Kai's pleas -- or by a strange declaration of love.

208 pages, black and white, $10.95, in stores on Feb. 11.

B.P.R.D.: WAR ON FROGS #2

Written by John Arcudi, art by John Severin, colored by Dave Stewart, cover by Mike Mignola.

Legendary artist John Severin lends his pen to the second of four one-shots set during the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense's fight against the frog monsters. Series writer John Arcudi and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola take B.P.R.D. back to its roots with a classic horror story: a squadron of B.P.R.D. soldiers hunts down a nest of frog monsters on an abandoned battleship -- only to become their quarry's prey.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 10.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #21

Written by Jane Espenson, penciled by Georges Jeanty, inked by Andy Owens, colored by Michelle Madsen, covers by Jeanty and Jo Chen.

"Harmonic Divergence." Television writer Jane Espenson returns to Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Season Eight. Espenson is the first of five acclaimed writers that tackle this groundbreaking story arc -- where Buffy fans are introduced to a new world where vampires are in and Slayers are out. Cue Harmony, the bubblegum cheerleader from Sunnydale High whose ambitions include blood sucking and stardom.

The Buffy Omnibus series continues with Volume Six -- delving further into Season Four of the acclaimed television series, and launching readers into the heart of Season Five.

Buffy and Angel, who's now a resident of Los Angeles, must reunite to fight new foes, but Buffy's current flame, Riley Finn, isn't too keen on the former lovers reuniting under any circumstances.

Meanwhile, things begin to heat up between Willow and Tara.

368 pages, $24.95, in stores on Feb. 11.

CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #6

Written by Timothy Truman, penciled by Tomas Giorello and Richard Corben, colored by Jose Villarrbuia, cover by Frank Cho.

Richard Corben illustrates another gripping Connacht flashback, as we witness how Conan's grandfather returned to Cimmeria, found a bride, and tamed his wanderlust in order to become an integral part of his tribe. In Conan's present, Conan has overcome impossible odds and trials to return to the Cimmerian village he grew up in -- only to find that much has changed in the years he's been away. With Brecan and his men closing in on the fugitive Caollan, will Conan's reunion with his former Cimmerian lover get cut short?

40 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 17.

EDEN: IT'S AN ENDLESS WORLD! VOLUME 11

Written and art by Hiroki Endo.

The Closure Virus fails to destroy humanity, but the mysterious Propater organization uses the ensuing chaos to take over governments across the globe. Years later, the Closure Virus has mutated and begins to spread in a strange way, with the enigmatic being who calls himself ³Maya² possibly at the center of its proliferation. While Maya may also hold the key to freeing Elijah's kidnapped sister, Elijah finds himself enmeshed in another complicated Propater debacle, and it's clear that the greedy, scheming organization wants him dead. Befriending Aletheia, a strange cyborg girl, Elijah travels to Australia -- where Miriam (the policewoman from Eden Volume 10) is following clues on her former partner's death, where Propater may be holding some of its prisoners of war, and where dozens of pilgrims are giving themselves up to the expanding threat of the new Disclosure Virus!

240 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Feb. 4.

EERIE ARCHIVES VOLUME 1

Written and art by various.

Slithering upon the heels of Dark Horse's archive collections of the seminal horror comics magazine Creepy comes its terror-filled cousin publication Eerie! Collected for fans for the first time ever, and packaged in the same amazing oversized format as our Creepy Archives, Dark Horse Comics has taken great, gruesome care in presenting this groundbreaking material to readers who have been waiting decades to get their claws on it. Eerie magazine, like its killer kin Creepy, features work from many of the masters of comics storytelling. For fans of spectacular spookiness, mind-bending sci-fi, and astonishing artwork, the Eerie Archives library is a must have.

Includes the work of Gray Morrow, Frank Frazetta, Alex Toth, Neal Adams, Joe Orlando, and others!

240 pages, $49.95, in stores on March 18.

GANTZ VOLUME 4

Written and art by Hiroya Oku.

A new game begins! The masochistic orb Gantz has gathered a new crew of ordinary citizens to play within its dangerous plot. The new draft picks and returning survivors are thrown headfirst into a new game promising a far more lethal prey. This time their target is a strange robot in the guise of famed Japanese folk singer Tanaka Seijin, but what monstrous alien form lurks beneath this crooning façade?

Kei, Masaru, and Kishimoto, now seasoned pros of this diabolical death match, have to decide whether it's in their best interest to let this new batch of recruits in on the details and pitfalls of the game, or use their previous assignment's scars to their advantage.

224 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Feb. 25.

GIGANTIC #2

Written by Rick Remender, penciled by Eric Nguyen, colored by John Rauch.

You are an actor on a planet-sized stage. You don't know it, but Gigantic does, and he's willing to risk your life to open your eyes. With the universe- controlling network known as the UBC hot on his tail, Gigantic makes a desperate plea to the citizens of his homeworld to discontinue their support of the evil corporation that rules them. In a fight for the life of his brother, the mystery society at the core of the Earth is revealed.

32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Dec. 10.

THE GOON #31

Written and art by Eric Powell, colored by Dave Stewart.

Goon Year concludes!
A brutal betrayal, and Goon's world is forever changed. Lonely Street will never be the same again, and that stands true for its longtime patrons -- some will live, and some will die.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 31.

WETA COLLECTIBLES: HALO 3 -- CORTANA STATUE

An UNSC Artificial Intelligence and one of the greatest assets in humanity's war of survival, Cortana is as close to a person as a computer program could become, though she has no true physical form. Recovered by the Master Chief from the Flood-infested Covenant warship High Charity, Cortana is the Chief's companion and confidant, the closest thing to a friend he has.

8" W x 17.5" H x 8" D, limited edition, $250, in stores on March 25.

WETA COLLECTIBLES: HALO 3 -- MASTER CHIEF AND ARBITER STATUE

Unlikely allies, the Master Chief and his former Covenant nemesis, the Arbiter, must fight alongside one another. Once the most respected warrior in the Covenant, the Arbiter was stripped of rank and betrayed by the Prophets, while the Master Chief has always been a man alone, even among his own kind.

12.5" W x 10" H x 8" D, limited edition, $250, in stores on March 25.

HELLBOY: THE WILD HUNT #1

Written by Mike Mignola, art by Duncan Fegredo, colored by Dave Stewart, cover by Mignola.

When ancient giants begin to rise from their graves across England, Hellboy is invited to join a mysterious group called the Wild Hunt and help bring them down. But the hunt leads to betrayal, and Hellboy finds himself up against enemies as angry about what he is as what he's done. "The fading children of the earth" gather in the shadows, waiting for the promised return of the Queen of Blood, and a chance to once again "shake the trees, crack mountains, and make the daytime world weep in fear."

Join comics luminaries Walt Simonson, John Byrne, Archie Goodwin, and Howard Chaykin, among others, in the very first appearances of the esteemed professor on the comic-book page! Weighing in at a hefty three hundred and sixty-eight pages, this tome collects the first twelve issues of the 1980s ongoing series -- along with the adaptation of Raiders of the Lost Ark -- for the very first time. And David Michelinie, the writer who would go on to pen most of Indy's four-color adventures, begins his imaginative run here! Fans of the films won't want to miss these classic tales that extend the Indiana Jones mythos beyond the silver screen.

368 pages, $24.95, in stores on Feb. 18.

INDIANA JONES AND THE TOMB OF THE GODS

Written by Rob Williams, penciled by Steve Scott, inked by Nathan Massengill, colored by Michael Atiyeh, cover by Tony Harris.

When a group of preeminent archaeologists discovers a prehistoric map to an ancient tomb, they have no idea that they will spend the rest of their lives making sure that it does not fall into the wrong hands. Now, with Nazis hot on their trail, they entrust Indiana Jones with the map and a cryptic warning: "Some mysteries are best left undiscovered." Indy knows that he has to keep the artifact out of the hands of the Nazis, but are his motivations truly altruistic or has he let his curiosity cloud his perspective?

It's a race around the globe as Indiana Jones attempts to stop a group of Hitler's Nazi elite from harnessing an ancient power of unrivaled destructive force that has been hidden for millennia in the mysterious Tomb of the Gods!

120 pages, $14.95, in stores on Feb. 11.

KICKASS KUTIES: THE ART OF LISA PETRUCCI

Written and art by Lisa Petrucci.

Walk through a sparkling world of make-believe, a cotton-candy-colored dream world of hearts, flowers, and switchblades, of dewy-eyed cartoon pinup gals, kutie-pie kowgirls, leopard-skinned sweeties, hatchet-wielding honeys, and the cuddliest devil kitties Hell has to offer. The art of Lisa Petrucci is a honey-coated maelstrom of contradictions -- the innocence of lost Americana, childhood nostalgia, and traditional feminine iconography all presented with a rebellious spirit. Kickass Kuties: The Art of Lisa Petrucci is the first collection of the artist's remarkable catalog, a hallucinatory tour through an emporium of cultural chaos, a bipolar gallery of imagery both sacred and profane.

112 pages, $22.95, in stores on Feb. 18.

KULL #2

Written by Arvid Nelson, penciled by Will Conrad, colored by Jose Villarrubia, cover by Andy Brase.

Before the blood from his last battle has a chance to soak into Valusian soil, Kull faces new threats to his throne. As representatives from all corners of his kingdom seek his counsel, the new warrior-king accepts a strange invitation from a hotheaded Pict emissary. Kull will need to discard ancient prejudices and find allies in former foes if he's to save the newly united Valusian empire from a clandestine enemy that once threatened to enslave and exterminate mankind!

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 3.

LARRY MARDER'S BEANWORLD BOOK 1: WAHOOLAZUMA!

Written and art by Larry Marder.

Beanworld is a peculiar fantasy that operates under its own rules and laws. Series creator Larry Marder says, "Beanworld is about the affinity of life. It's like A Bug's Life meets Mutts, as told by Dr. Seuss and Joseph Campbell." Meet Mr. Spook, Professor Garbanzo, Beanish, and the Chow Sol'jer Army as they experience adventures that prove, whether friends or adversaries, we all ultimately depend on each other for survival. Beanworld reflects deep truths about our world, including themes of ecology, advertising, culture, and art, making the experiences of these fanciful creatures feel as true, funny, moving, and relatable as anything in our own reality.

Rescanned from the original artwork, this deluxe hardcover collects the long-out-of-print first nine issues of the original acclaimed comic-book series in an affordable single volume for the first time!

272 pages, $19.95, in stores on Feb. 4.

MISTER X: CONDEMNED #1

Written and art by Dean Motter.

Twenty-five years ago, Mister X debuted with a concept so clever and a character so captivating that it influenced an entire generation of comics fans and creators. Today, Motter reclaims the reins and sets out to inspire a whole new generation with Mister X: Condemned, a completely fresh introduction to the elusive Mister X and his dystopian home -- Somnopolis, the City of Nightmares.

With influences from Film Noir to German Expressionism, this story of a city gone mad and the never-sleeping man who's obsessed with saving it will amaze anyone interested in masterpiece storytelling born from the vision of a single iconoclastic creator.

24 pages, $3.50, in stores on Dec. 24.

MPD-PSYCHO VOLUME 8

Written by Eiji Otsuka, art by Sho-u Tajima.

MPD-Psycho has earned praise for its complex, shocking story arcs and artist Sho-u Tajima's stark, arresting art style -- that draws comparison with artist Charles Burns' work. Adult fans of the Death Note and Paranoia Agent anime series, the Takashi Miike MPD-Psycho television adaptation, and nihilistic parables like the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Monster, and Death Note manga will be surprised by the inventive murders, mysterious sci-fi touches, and surprisingly humorous moments in this smart series. Step onto this crazy ride, as even more strange deviants are introduced and writer Eiji Otsuka continues to astound with his inventive plot twists and atrocities.

In this volume you'll find: The premiere of Zack and Joss Whedon's superhero creation Captain Hammer; an untold tale of the Umbrella Academy from Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá featuring the Kraken and Vanya as two rebellious teens, a unique look at Conan creator Robert E. Howard's famous creations; the agents of Mike Mignola's B.P.R.D. as they face off against a terrifying new foe; and a pair of smart and creepy passages from the ongoing tales of occult detective Cal McDonald via Steve Niles.

This volume also features great stories from creators like Tara McPherson, Evan Dorkin, Fábio Moon, Gilbert Hernandez, and Francisco Ruiz Velasco.

176 pages, $19.95, in stores on Feb. 18.

OH MY GODDESS! VOLUME 11

Written and art by Kosuke Fujishima.

If three goddesses are good, surely four must be better? Not for Keiichi, whose strange power to attract divine trouble has just dialed "P" for Peorth -- Belldandy's rival in the helping-humans-out-by-phone biz. But Peorth wonders why Belldandy's still hanging around Keiichi if she's really fulfilled his wishes, and is determined to provide him better "service" -- no matter how fast he tries to run! Plus six pages of color, twelve Mini-Goddess strips, a message from creator Kosuke Fujishima, and your fan art and letters!

200 pages, black and white, $10.95, in stores on Feb. 25.

REELART STUDIOS BUCK ROGERS STATUE

ReelArt Studios is proud to present Buck Rogers, Philip Francis Nowlan's
seminal hero who first appeared in the novella Armageddon 2419 A.D. in the 1928 issue of Amazing Stories. This 1950's version of Buck is sculpted by
Tony Cipriano and paint mastered by Joy & Tom Studios. It depicts Buck in action with blazing guns and rising on a cloud of smoke from his jet pack.

Written by Arvid Nelson, penciled by Juan Ferreya, cover by Gerard Way.

Genevieve arrives at the Castle of the Holy Grail, little knowing the danger that lurks within. She finally lays eyes on the grisly horror of the true Holy Grail, unaware Lorraine's Imperial Guard have captured Julien the night before. Her days as a duchess might be coming to a very abrupt and unpleasant end!

Isabelle has escaped her father's men, but she is weak and desperate. Can she rally to save Julien and take on her father? She has a plan . . . and the duke, at the height of his power, surrounded by the might and majesty of the Castle of the Holy Grail, might not be as safe as he thinks!

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 17.

THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN VOLUME 5

Written by Roy Thomas, art by various.

This volume contains some of the most ambitious adaptations of Conan material to date, reprinting the epic battle that leads to Conan becoming the king of Aquilonia in "Conan the Liberator," the sword-and-sorcery classic "Sword of Skelos," and the exhilarating "Conan and the Sorcerer." Collecting selections from The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian issues 49 through 60, this volume also includes the frontispieces and pinups from each issue, drawn by such amazing talent as Ernie Chan, Carl Potts, and Neal Adams! As a special bonus, you'll find a companion piece to Savage Sword Volume 1's "A Witch Shall Be Born" story -- that hasn't seen print since its original publication in 1980!

For the first time ever, these classic, uncensored tales are being collected in a series of omnibus-style books, with over 500 pages of sword-and-sorcery adventure in each volume -- for the complete Conan collector!

544 pages, black and white, $17.95, in stores on Feb. 18.

SOLOMON KANE #4

Written by Scott Allie, penciled by Mario Guevara, colored by Dave Stewart, cover by John Cassaday.

An action-filled frenzy! With his host wounded -- and bodies piling up in both the Black Forest and the Castle of the Devil -- Solomon Kane tries to keep himself and his deceptively simple companion, John Silent, from quick deaths on the gallows. The lovely, scheming Mahasti is missing, supernatural horrors lurk in the forest, and Baron von Staler becomes a bit unhinged. Expanding upon Robert E. Howard's unfinished "Castle of the Devil" story.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 24.

THE SPIRIT MOVIE BUST AND JOURNAL

Dark Horse celebrates the forthcoming motion picture of Will Eisner's The Spirit, as directed by Frank Miller, with some very sophisticated limited-edition pieces based on the characters as they appear in the film.